This post is copied over from an old site I was building. This trip took place in 2012 during the winter break from my teaching job in Malaysia. I decided to load up a mountain bike with a rack and panniers and some slicker touring tires and ride from Central Java to Labuan, Indonesia. This was my first every bike tour. In total, the tour was about 1500km of riding, which isn’t very much when spread out over 7 weeks. I really took the time to get to know the places I stayed and meet lots of locals.

5 Days in Yogyakarta

So far, I haven’t left Yogyakarta (Jogja). Here’s why.
One of my favourite aspects about CouchSurfing is the impact that random encounters can have on someone’s life. On my second night in Jogja, on the advice of a CouchSurfing contact, I attended a CS meetup just up the road from where I was staying. While there I was invited to three events by the local CS members:
1. Trip to Borobudur Temple the next morning at 10am.
2. Karaoke the next night
3. 2-day hiking trip up Mount Merbabu.

Unfortunately, the first one fell through because they randomly decided to go extra early, and didn’t bother letting me know. Instead, I spent the day wandering about Jogja and just getting to know the city and its atmosphere. Letting it all sink in.

The karaoke night the next day was a really fun evening. I had a blast with Alya (my CS contact) and others from the previous night rocking it out at Happy Puppy Karaoke.

The next morning was the trip to go hike up Mt. Merbabu. Although poorly planned, this trip was truly something to remember. My ‘Western’ mind thought we should have been there early to hike up the mountain, set-up camp, cook a nice dinner, and get some rest. ALL BEFORE THE REALLY EARLY 2AM START TO CATCH THE SUNRISE!

Indonesians don’t think the same way

As I didn't have a way of getting there, one of the locals that was joining the trip offered to pick me up on his motorbike and to give me a ride. He picked me up at 9am so we could reach the rendezvous by 10am. Everyone was late…. we left at 11:30am. Getting to the trailhead was an adventure of its own, as his bike didn't have the power to take us both up some of the big hills and I would have to jump off and push from behind before jumping back on behind him. By the time we arrived at the basecamp and were ready to go it was 3pm. By 4pm it was pouring rain (we’re hiking in monsoon season).

Given I didn’t bring enough warm clothes, as I’m doing a bike trip, I picked up some rain gear to wear on the hike. Generally, I was freezing cold most of the time. I didn’t feel so bad since half the people in our group were wearing sandals. and it's not exactly a small mountain. It’s 3142 meters high.

Hell, one girl didn’t even bring a sleeping bag. She slept wrapped in a sarong and a garbage bag. By 4:30pm I took over carrying the heaviest bag, as the leader of the expedition was busy with the weaker people at the back. It was close to 25kg. By 7pm, one of the girls was so exhausted she passed out in the middle of the trail. We decided this was a good time to set-up camp. We put up a tent and the near hypothermic girl was wrapped in blankets with two other girls. At this point I was started to doubt the intelligence of joining this doomed expedition, fully expecting that by the time we made it back down the mountain someone will have died.

We all got up at midnight to start preparing for the hike to the summit. Leaving our tents and non-essentials behind made it much easier. Luckily it was no longer raining, but since it was pitch black and 1/2 the people didn’t have a light with them, it was still a pain in the ass. We reached the summit about 10 minutes before sunrise. Damn close call. Needless to say, it was one of the most amazing sunrises I've ever seen.

Some of them were going to do one more day and hike up Mt. Merapi, which is an active volcano that is always smoking. I decided that I had had enough mountain climbing drama and would head back to Jogja, get some rest, a massage, and spend more time in the city before starting the actual bike adventure.

For my last day in the city, I rented a motorbike and drove to Borobudur, a 9th century Buddhist temple that depicts the influence the Hindus had in Indonesia before Islam came. Borobudur is the world's largest Buddhist Temple and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was pretty amazing that would could just walk around the complex without anybody telling you where you could or couldn't go. As soon as I got back from Borobudur, my bike trip was going to start as I was heading for Solo.